Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the field of pinball game machines. More particularly, the invention pertains to pinball game playfield construction, scoring and lighting features.
Description of Related Art
A typical pinball machine includes a wooden pinball game playfield with various pinball game features such as bumpers, rails, ramps, sling shots, and a wide array of other types of mechanical, electrical, electronic, and electro-mechanical features affixed to it, creating a playable game according to scoring rule sets programmed into the game control system as a pinball activates various game features. In the prior art, pinball game features such as bumpers, posts, solenoids, ramps, magnets, mechanical obstacles, light bulbs, sockets and other types of pinball game features are not designed to be relocated, adjusted or customized in any significant fashion.
Because the game of pinball is typically housed in a wooden cabinet and designed with a wide variety of light bulbs interspersed about a planar pinball game playfield, the pinball game playfield can appear dark and unappealing in some areas. Typically, the lights used on a pinball game playfield in the prior art have been conventional incandescent miniature lamps. More recently, LEDs that produce a high intensity vibrant localized illumination have been adapted to use the same miniature lamp sockets historically used in pinball games, and this has inspired many owners and commercial operators to customize their own games using colored lamps or LEDs that were not part of the standard pinball game.
Additionally, many lamps, whether conventional or LED, are needed to illuminate a pinball game. Elevated secondary playfield levels and raised ball paths, such as ramps and rail tracks, generally remain out of the illumination path and appear dark and unappealing as a result. Additionally, in some cases poor lighting conditions may make it difficult for the player to identify the ball position, especially during high speed play. Static mounted sockets are sometimes used in an elevated position to illuminate some of these elevated areas. However, this is generally a poor solution that does little to enhance game play, and is little more than a spot solution in most cases that cannot be adjusted by the game owner.
As with lighting, other pinball game features are similarly fixed in their position and offer, if any, only small standardized opportunities for adjustments, tweaks, and alterations to improve gameplay. For example, some posts may be relocated a small distance or sensitivity of some switches can be adjusted. As pinball has become a popular hobby and a professional sport internationally, both private collectors and commercial operators have been desirous of customizing their individual pinball games to reflect their own play style, add their own twist to the game, or simply personalize their game. Such customizations are particularly desired by private collectors who, over time, may become bored with a single machine in their collection. In the professional arena, customization would present players with new challenges they would only face on tournament play pinball games.
Unfortunately, adding new features, lighting, electro-mechanical and robotic devices, or alternate illumination cannot even be considered beyond simple conventional lamp to LED changes, lamp color changes, and in some cases the addition of static decorative figurines or other merely ornamental game features.